Antifriction bearing



Sept. 30 1924. 3,510,297

r A. M. BRENNE ANTIFRICTION BEARING Filed Dec. 10 1921 Wibzassefi fave/Liv)" flrild M fireme Patented fiepti 30, 1924.

MNHTBB BTATEB isiaiai earner serie AEILD' OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOBV. BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 W. INCL, A CORPORATION 01" IDELA'W'ARE.

ANTIFRIGTIO'N BEARING.

Application filed December 10, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARILD M. Barman, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Antifriction Bearings, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in anti-friction bearings.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and relatively inexpensive antifriction bearing especiallyadapted for use as a side bearing for railway cars and wherein the anti-friction element proper is automatically returned to central normal position under the influence of gravity.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a vertical, sectional view taken through a body bolster and a truck bolster of a car in a plane parallel to the center line of the car and showing my improvei'nents in connection therewith, The full lines indicate the normal position of the parts and the dotted lines one extreme position of the parts. And Figure 2 is a vertical, transverse, sectional view corresponding substantially to the section line 22 of Figure 1.

In said drawing, the upper portion of a truck bolster is indicated at 10, and the under side of a body bolster at 11. The improved bearing, as shown, is applied to the truck bolster. and comprises, broadly, a housing or retaining member or base casting A: a gravity self-centering rocker plate B; and an anti-friction roller C. The housing or retaining member A is of hollow rectangular box-like form having vertically extending end walls 1212; side walls 1313; bottom wall 14; and corner lugs 15 by which the base casting is adapted to be riveted or otherwise rigidly secured to the truck bolster.

The bottom wall 14 of the base casting has an upper horizontally extending bearing surface 1 6 centrally disposed within thebase casting, said bottom wall 14: being cut away at each end so as to leave recesses 17-17 as clearly indicated in Figure 1. Preferably also the side walls are apertured opposite the recesses 17, as indicated at 18, to allow dirt and other foreign matter to Serial No, 521,313..

be cleared and washed out from the base casting.

The rocker plate B preferably consists of a plate of relatively heavy metal having an upper arcuate bearing surface 19 and a lower concentric bearing surface 20, the latter rocking upon the horizontal bearing surface 16 of the base casting. At each end. the rocker plate B is provided with depending heavy lugs 21-21 so located that the same are adapted to be passed into the openings 17 in the bottom of the base cast ing. The plate B is provided with suitable recesses 22 on its under side which cooperate with teeth or bosses 23 extending upwardly from the bottom wall 14 so as to prevent bodily shifting of the rocker plate B but at the same time allowing the latter to rock freely, as will be understood.

The antifriction roller C, as shown, is of cylindrical form and adapted to roll back and forth on the upper surface 1.9 of the rocker plate B. To prevent the roller C from being accidentally or maliciously removed from the base casting and also to maintain all of the parts in assembled relation, I preferably employ a pin 24 extended through the roller C and having the ends of the pin working in longitudinally extending slots 25 25 in the side walls 13 of the base casting, it being understood that said pin 24 is frictionally or otherwise rigidly secured within the roller C.

The lugs 21 on the rocker plate B are made of such depth that the end portions of the rocker are prevented from being' depressed to a level corresponding to the level of the central portion of the plate when the latter is in normal position. By this arrangement, as clearly indicated by the dotted line position of the parts in Figure 1, the roller C travels in a true horizontal line throughout the greater portion of its movements to either side of normal central position but, when approaching an extreme position, the rocker plate B being prevented from further depression, or limited in its rocking movements as above described, causes the roller C to rise a slight amount to the position indicated by the dotted line position C of the roller in Figure 1. The object of this is to insure a quicker and more certain return of the roller to central position after removal of the actuating load since there will be two factors combined, tending to return the roller to central posit-ion. One of these factors is the rocker plate B itself which, on account of its unbalanced tilted position will tend to center itself, and the other being the fact that the roller will tend to roll down the upwardly curving end portions of the bearing surface 19 of the plate. The roller is preferably limited in its extreme movements by the end walls 12 of the base casting which may be suitably curved on their inner faces as indicated at 26 to conform to the pcriphery of the roller.

It is desirable that, during the operation of a side bearing. no variation in the effective spacing between the body and truck bolsters occur. 'To permit of this result and to compensate for the elevation of the roller when moved to extreme position, the under bearing surface 27 of the body bolster is curved upwardly at each end as indicated at 28-28 at points and for a distance corresponding to the point and distance when the roller starts to travel upwardly on the end portions of the rocker plate I). In this manner, I am enabled to maintain a uniform height for the bearing during all positions of the anti-friction roller.

I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out the invention, but the same is merely illustrative, and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. I11 a side bearing for railway cars adapted to be interposed between a body bolster and a truck bolster, the combination with a hollow base casting adapted to be secured to the truck bolster and provided on the interior thereof with a horizontally extending bearing surface; of a rocker bearing plate mounted on said bearing surface of. the base casting, said rocker bearing plate having upper and lower arcuate bearing surfaces: means limiting the tilting movements of said rocker bearing plate to prevent the end portions thereof assuming a position on a level with the central portion of the hearing plate when the latter is in normal position; and an anti-friction roller adapted to roll back and forth on the upper bearing surface of said plate and to be elevated thereon when the roller is moved to extreme position, the body bolster being provided with a bearing surface cooperablewith said roller, said body bolster bearing surface being upwardly inclined at its ends to compen sate for the elevation of the roller when the latter is moved to extreme positions in the base casting.

.2. In an anti-friotion bearing, the combi nation with a retaining member having a bearing surface therein; of an anti-friction element adapted to roll back and forth to either side of central normal position; and a gravity controlled rocker interposed between said element and the bearing surface of said member, said rocker having means on each end thereof positively limiting the tilting movement of said rocker at a predetermined point prior to completion of an extreme movement of said element, said rocker having upper and lower arcuate bearing surfaces, said bearing surfaces and the cooperating corresponding bearing surfaces of said element and retaining member being so proportioned that the effective height of said element remains constant during any permitted tilting action .of said rocker and, upon continued movement of said element while the rocker is prevented from further tilting movement, the effective bearing height of said element is raised, whereby, to obtain a more effective automatic return of said ele ment and rocker to their normal positions.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 21st day of November, 1921.

ARILD M. BRENNE. Witnesses UNA C. GnIGsBY, ANN BAKER. 

